Burner igniting system for gas stove

ABSTRACT

A burner igniting system includes a pilot light disposed in a gas stove for supplying a flame to a burner, an igniting and sensing device for igniting the pilot light and for sensing a presence of flame on the pilot light, and a control device includes a circuit board, a flame signal amplifying device electrically connected to the pilot light for detecting whether a flame in the pilot light is existed or not, and a processing device (MCU n) electrically connected to the flame signal amplifying device for processing the flame signal from the flame signal amplifying device into a processed signal, and to determine whether the pilot light and the burner have been successfully ignited or not.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a burner igniting system for a gas stove, and more particularly to a burner igniting system for a gas stove including a simplified structure or configuration having fewer parts or elements for effectively igniting the burner of the gas stove and for detecting whether the burner has been successfully ignited or not, and for preventing the burner igniting system from being easily damaged.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical igniting systems for igniting the burner of the gas stove comprise a spark generating circuit to produce sparks for igniting gas burners and a plurality of electrodes which are connected with the spark generating circuit for the ignition of the gas burners, a flame sensor circuit is operated in a first period for producing sparks, through of the electrodes, and in a second period and once the gas burner has been ignited, for sensing the presence of flame on each gas burner, and a reestablishing circuit, a current sensor circuit and control means are connected for generating first activation signals for the ignition of the burner, for monitoring the presence of flame on the burner and for emitting first sound signals to indicate that the burner has been ignited and, if no presence of flame is detected on the burner, for generating second activation signals for re-igniting the burner until that a maximum time for the ignition of the burner has been exceed.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,180 to Fredin-Garcia-Jurado et al. discloses one of the typical igniting systems for igniting the burner of the gas stove and also comprising a spark generating circuit to produce sparks for igniting gas burners, and a flame sensor circuit and a current sensor circuit are further required to be provided for sensing or detecting the flame and the current respectively.

However, the typical igniting system includes a complicated structure or configuration that may include a complicated making or manufacturing procedure and that is required to be made or manufactured by specialized persons, and that may include a greatly increased manufacturing cost.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional burner igniting systems for gas stoves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a burner igniting system for a gas stove including a simplified structure or configuration having fewer parts or elements for effectively igniting the burner of the gas stove and for sensing or detecting whether the burner has been successfully ignited or not, and for preventing the burner igniting system from being easily damaged.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a burner igniting system comprising a base plate disposed in a gas stove, a burner disposed in the gas stove, a pilot light disposed on the base plate for supplying a flame to the burner, an igniting and sensing device disposed on the base plate for igniting the pilot light and for sensing a flame signal on the pilot light, and a control device including a circuit board, a flame signal amplifying device electrically connected to the pilot light for detecting whether a flame in the pilot light is existed or not, and a processing device (MCU n) electrically connected to the flame signal amplifying device for obtaining and processing the flame signal from the flame signal amplifying device into a processed signal, and to determine that the pilot light and the burner have been successfully ignited when the processed signal is changing, and to determine that the pilot light and the burner have not been successfully ignited when the processed signal is kept constant.

The processing device (MCU n) may be selected from a processing unit, a processor, a thermocouple sensor, a comparator or the like.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a burner igniting system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan schematic view illustrating the circuit and/or the parts or elements of the burner igniting system;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the burner igniting system; and

FIGS. 4, 5 are diagrams illustrating the signals generated by the burner igniting system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, a burner igniting system in accordance with the present invention comprises a platform or base plate 10 disposed or attached or mounted or secured in a gas stove 80 or the like, in which the other parts or elements or portions of the gas stove 80 are typical and are not related to the present invention and will not be described in further details and have not been shown or illustrated, a burner 20 disposed or attached or mounted or secured in the gas stove 80, a pilot light 21 disposed or attached or mounted or secured on the base plate 10 for supplying a flame 90 to the burner 20, and an igniting and sensing device 22, such as a thermocouple sensor 22 also disposed or attached or mounted or secured on the base plate 10 for igniting the pilot light 21 and for sensing the presence of the flame 90 on the pilot light 21.

It is to be noted that the igniting and sensing device 22 is the only parts or elements required to be provided for both igniting the pilot light 21 and sensing the presence of the flame 90 on the pilot light 21. As also shown in FIG. 1, the burner igniting system further includes a control circuit or device 3 having a circuit board 30 electrically connected or coupled to the pilot light 21 and the igniting and sensing device 22, the control circuit or device 3 includes a flame signal amplifying circuit or device 31 electrically connected or coupled to the pilot light 21 (FIG. 3) for sensing or detecting whether the flame in the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 is existed or abnormal or distinguished or not, and/or for sensing or detecting or determining whether the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 has been successfully actuated or operated or ignited or not.

For example, the flame signal amplifying device 31 may be provided for obtaining or receiving and/or for magnifying or amplifying the flame signals from the pilot light 21 into a voltage and/or the current signal. The control device 3 further includes a control or treating or processing unit or device (MCU n) 33 electrically connected or coupled to the flame signal amplifying device 31 (FIGS. 2, 3) for obtaining or receiving and for treating or processing the voltage and/or the current signals from the flame signal amplifying device 31. The processing device (MCU n) 33 is electrically connected or coupled to the igniting and sensing device 22 for actuating or operating the igniting and sensing device 22 to selectively ignite the burner 20 with the pilot light 21. The processing device (MCU n) 33 may be selected from a processing unit or processor device, thermocouple sensor, or comparator or the like.

In operation, as shown in FIG. 3, the flame signal amplifying device 31 is electrically connected or coupled to the pilot light 21 for sensing or detecting whether the flame in the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 is existed or abnormal or distinguished or not, and/or for sensing or detecting or determining whether the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 has been actuated or operated or ignited or not, and/or for obtaining or receiving and/or for magnifying or amplifying the flame signals from the pilot light 21 into a voltage and/or the current or a detected or processed signal, and the processing device (MCU n) 33 is electrically connected or coupled to the flame signal amplifying device 31 for obtaining or receiving and/or for treating or processing the voltage and/or the current or the detected or processed signals from the flame signal amplifying device 31.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the voltage and/or the current or the detected or processed signals from the flame signal amplifying device 31 is changing or varying continuously, the processing device (MCU n) 33 may determine or confirm that the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 has been successfully actuated or operated or ignited, in the process 34 as shown in FIG. 3. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 5, when the voltage and/or the current or the detected or processed signals from the flame signal amplifying device 31 is not changing or varying or is kept constant, the processing device (MCU n) 33 may determine or confirm that the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 has not been successfully actuated or operated or ignited, in the process 35 as shown in FIG. 3; Or, the actuation or operation or igniting of the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 is abnormal or has become failure.

When the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 has not been actuated or operated or ignited, the processing device (MCU n) 33 may then continuously actuate or operate the igniting and sensing device 22 to selectively ignite the burner 20 with the pilot light 21, or to ignite the burner 20 with the pilot light 21 in a predetermined time period, or to stop igniting the burner 20 with the pilot light 21 before the igniting and sensing device 22 is checked and repaired by the users. On the contrary, when the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 has been successfully actuated or operated or ignited, the flame signal amplifying device 31 may continuously obtain or receive and magnify or amplify the signals from the pilot light 21, and the processing device (MCU n) 33 may continuously determine or confirm whether the pilot light 21 and/or the burner 20 has been successfully actuated or operated or ignited or not.

Accordingly, the burner igniting system in accordance with the present invention for the gas stove includes a simplified structure or configuration having fewer parts or elements for effectively igniting the burner of the gas stove and for detecting whether the burner has been successfully ignited or not, and for preventing the burner igniting system from being easily damaged.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

I claim:
 1. A burner igniting system comprising: a base plate disposed in a gas stove, a burner disposed in said gas stove, a pilot light disposed on said base plate for supplying a flame to said burner, an igniting and sensing device disposed on said base plate for igniting said pilot light and for sensing a flame signal on said pilot light, and a control device including a circuit board, a flame signal amplifying device electrically connected to said pilot light for detecting whether a flame in said pilot light is existed or not, and a processing device (MCU n) electrically connected to said flame signal amplifying device for obtaining and processing the flame signal from said flame signal amplifying device into a processed signal, and to determine that said pilot light and said burner have been successfully ignited when the processed signal is changing, and to determine that said pilot light and said burner have not been successfully ignited when the processed signal is kept constant.
 2. The burner igniting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing device (MCU n) is selected from a processing unit, a processor, a thermocouple sensor, a comparator or the like. 